By Charlotte Webster-
A Yorkshire court building which closed for a day following a Covid-19 outbreak has reopened.
Doncaster Justice Centre North closed last Thursday after a number of its staff and court users developed symptoms of the coronavirus, but reopened the following day after a deep clean.
An HMCTS spokesperson said the courts service is following all public health and government Covid-secure guidelines, and has put measures in place to keep court and tribunal users safe. These measures are under constant review.
Lawyers have complained in numbers about being forced to come into court buildings for hearings which could otherwise be held remotely.
One staff at Doncaster Court anonymously told The Eye Of Media.Com that ”there is a fear that those staff members could easily have spread the virus to court users who may be asymptomatic and innocently spread the deadly virus to others in courts.
‘Yes, there are social distancing measures in place and mask wearing, but some people pull their masks down below their mouths , and we mustn’t forget that the virus can still spread through the touching of surfaces. Not everyone comes to court wearing gloves”.
The government has been announcing social distancing for months, we are in a national lockdown, but there is an easy loophole here for court users who may have caught the virus from staff to accidentally spread it to society”
Remote hearing was initially the practise for both defenders and prosecutors, but physical hearings have now taken over as the chosen practise in British courts.
Social distancing measures are in place in all UK courts, with mandatory mask wearing as a precaution, but that hasn’t eliminated the concern for safety among lawyers and staff members.